The James Joyce Library

James Joyce

Step softly into The James Joyce Library, where the pages breathe and the city murmurs beneath every word. Here the books unfold aloud - Dublin’s streets, its wandering minds, its sudden flashes of revelation - carried on the human voice as river-current and memory entwine. From first sentence to final cadence, each episode invites the listener to drift through language itself: playful, searching, awake to the music of ordinary life. Open your ears, and walk awhile among stories that refuse to stand still.

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  1. EPISODE 1

    Ulysses Episode 1 - Telemachus Part 1

    In which the early morning air enfolds two companions in their tower by the sea, Buck Mulligan bustling with irreverent wit and Stephen Dedalus weighed by inward melancholy, their exchange weaving through mockery, memory, and the tender scars of loss. As the sea stretches vast and still beneath the awakening light, friendship and brooding entwine over tea and words, the day beginning with a mingling of sunlight, shadow, and unspoken intimations.

    24 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    Ulysses Episode 1 - Telemachus Part 2

    In which a morning gathering at the Martello tower unfolds with Buck Mulligan’s jocular irreverence, as Stephen Dedalus and an English guest share conversation circled round milk, language, faith, and art, all underscored by the delicate tensions of identity and belonging. Against the bright backdrop of the bay and cliffs, laughter mingles with solemn reflection, while the characters prepare to part ways and face the day’s duties and destinies.

    21 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    Ulysses Episode 2 - Nestor

    In which a schoolroom of boisterous boys and their earnest master Stephen Dedalus quietly wrestle with history, riddles, and arithmetic, shadows of ancient victories and personal secrets flickering behind their youthful facades; and the stern, pragmatic Mr Deasy presents his fervent views on money, power, and the fate of England with an old man’s sharpness, while pressing Stephen to aid in his campaign against foot-and-mouth disease. Together they move in a world where the whisper of the past mingles with the stubborn pride of the present, and the subtle weight of unspoken histories and tangled allegiances lingers in the air like the afternoon light through the library window.

    28 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    Ulysses Episode 3 - Proteus

    In which a solitary wanderer treads along the shifting sands of a storied strand, his thoughts weaving through memory, myth, and the ceaseless murmurs of sea and land, while elusive figures and echoing voices stir the mingled pasts of city and self. Contemplative and restless, he encounters familiars and strangers alike amid the elemental rhythms of tide and time, caught between the visible world and an inner vision that beckons beyond the veil.

    43 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    Ulysses Episode 4 - Calypso

    In which Mr Leopold Bloom moves through a warm summer morning with quiet care and curious attention, attending to domestic routines and small acts of kindness amid the softly suffusing light and familiar neighbourhood sounds. Observing the world with gentle affection and reflective reverie, he contemplates his surroundings, his family, and the subtle flow of time while pondering distant lands, past and present lives, and the bittersweet tenderness of memory.

    42 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    Ulysses Episode 5 - Lotus Eaters

    In which a thoughtful gentleman named Mr Bloom ambles through the Dublin streets, reflecting on the morning’s occurrences and the lives intersecting with his own, his mind wandering from trivial news to the intimate inclinations of those he encounters. Within the quiet sanctity of a church and the humble chemist’s shop, he contemplates faith, mortality, and simple domestic comforts in a warm, gentle morning’s light.

    44 min

  7. EPISODE 7

    Ulysses Episode 6 - Hades Part 1

    In which a company of gentlemen, bound by respectful custom and muted remembrance, accompany a funeral carriage winding through Dublin’s solemn streets, their discourse meandering from the edges of grief to the lighter jests and practicalities of everyday life. As the procession moves past familiar landmarks and ordinary scenes, reflections on life and death, the burdens of memory, and fleeting glimpses of personal sorrow ripple beneath the surface of gentle camaraderie.

    36 min

  8. EPISODE 8

    Ulysses Episode 6 - Hades Part 2

    In which a solemn gathering traces its slow procession through a cemetery, the ritual of burial unfolding amid whispered remembrances, old tales, and meditations on death’s quiet dominion. Mr Bloom reflects on the mingled weight of sorrow, the curious intermingling of life and decay, as the mourners part ways beneath the pale sky and the soft sigh of a gentle wind.

    39 min

  9. EPISODE 9

    Ulysses Episode 7 - Aeolus Part 1

    In which the rhythmic clank of printing presses and the bustle of tramways and newspaper offices weave a lively portrait of Dublin’s industrious heart, as Mr Bloom navigates the corridors of the Evening Telegraph, seeking to arrange an advertisement amidst murmurs of local affairs and the quirks of his companions. Amidst the chatter of patrons, newsboys, and editors, voices rise and fall in spirited, often humorous debate on Ireland’s cultural and political motifs, capturing the idiosyncratic voices and subtle tensions of a city in motion.

    30 min

  10. EPISODE 10

    Ulysses Episode 7 - Aeolus Part 2

    In which a group of Dublin literati and newspapermen gather in convivial yet sardonic discourse, their talk veering from classical loyalty to lost causes and the spirit of the Greek tongue to the blunt realities of journalism and politics in the city. They muse upon the follies and fervours of history, oratory, and everyday life, as their footsteps lead them through the hum and clamour of Dublin’s streets, each character weaving sharp wit with somber reflection under the watchful gaze of monuments and the city's unfolding present.

    44 min

  11. EPISODE 11

    Ulysses Episode 8 - Lestrygonians Part 1

    In which a thoughtful wanderer moves riverward beneath a shifting sky, observing the comings and goings of gulls, street vendors, and familiar faces steeped in the ebb and flow of everyday Dublin life; memories and muted gossip mingle with the wistful ache of past joys and present cares. Amid the bustle of streets and stalls, quiet intimacies and whispered fears entwine over the weight of loss, the struggle of birth and death, and the small kindnesses scattered like crumbs upon the tide.

    32 min

  12. EPISODE 12

    Ulysses Episode 8 - Lestrygonians Part 2

    In which a wanderer observes the bustling, often grimy city life with a mingling of humour and melancholy—the policemen on their beats, the hungry patrons in public eateries, the vapid chatter of everyday heroes and drifters alike—and reflects quietly on the passage of time, human desires, and the changing urban landscape. His mind drifts through images of food and drink, fleeting encounters, and curious characters, as the city pulses with the slow, relentless rhythm of existence beneath a shifting sun.

    37 min
See All Season 4 (12)

About

Step softly into The James Joyce Library, where the pages breathe and the city murmurs beneath every word. Here the books unfold aloud - Dublin’s streets, its wandering minds, its sudden flashes of revelation - carried on the human voice as river-current and memory entwine. From first sentence to final cadence, each episode invites the listener to drift through language itself: playful, searching, awake to the music of ordinary life. Open your ears, and walk awhile among stories that refuse to stand still.

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